Pat O'Connor (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pat O'Connor |
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O'Connor in the 1950s
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| Birth name | Patrick John O'Connor |
| Born | 22 August 1924 Raetihi, New Zealand |
| Died | 16 August 1990 (aged 65) St Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Alma mater | Massey Agricultural College |
| Spouse(s) |
Remember Carly Ford
(m. 1953; div. 1968) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service/ |
Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Years of service | 1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Pat O'Connor |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| Billed from | Wanganui, New Zealand |
| Trained by | Butch Levy |
| Debut | 1950 |
| Retired | 1982 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's wrestling | ||
Representing  New Zealand |
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| British Empire Games | ||
| Silver | 1950 Auckland | Heavyweight |
Patrick John O'Connor (born August 22, 1924 – died August 16, 1990) was a famous wrestler from New Zealand who also became an American citizen. He was known for being a very skilled wrestler.
Pat O'Connor held two major wrestling titles at the same time: the AWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He held the NWA title for about two years. He was also the very first AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Overall, he won two world championships in his career.
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Patrick John O'Connor was born on August 22, 1924, in Raetihi, New Zealand. His parents were John Frederick and Isabella. He went to primary schools in Raetihi and Orautoha. Later, he attended Feilding Agricultural High School.
During his school years, Pat also helped on his parents' farm. He took care of sheep and cattle. After high school, he went to Massey Agricultural College. In 1945, he served for six months in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II.
Amateur Wrestling Career
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Pat O'Connor was an amateur wrestler. He trained with coaches Dave Scarrow and Don Anderson. At the same time, he worked as a blacksmith to earn money.
In 1947, after a wrestling tournament, he joined the Wellington wrestling team. There, he trained under Anton Koolmann. In 1948, he represented New Zealand in the Pan American games. Pat O'Connor won the New Zealand Heavyweight Championship in amateur wrestling in both 1949 and 1950.
Winning in 1949 allowed him to compete in the 1950 British Empire Games. At these games, Pat O'Connor won a silver medal for New Zealand. This was in the heavyweight division of freestyle wrestling. After his amateur career, he trained to become a professional wrestler with Len Levy.
Professional Wrestling Career
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
On March 19, 1955, Pat O'Connor won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version). He teamed up with Roy McClarity. They held this title until February 1956. Later that year, he worked for Maple Leaf Wrestling.
In March, he won the NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version). However, he lost it on May 2, 1957, to Gene Kiniski. In the same month, O'Connor and Whipper Billy Watson won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship. They lost it to Gene Kiniski and Fritz Von Erich on October 31, 1957.
Pat O'Connor held the important NWA World Heavyweight Championship from 1959 to 1961. He first won this title on January 9, 1959, from Dick Hutton. Dick Hutton had been champion for thirteen months. Both the National Wrestling Alliance and the National Wrestling Association recognized O'Connor as the new champion.
On July 29, Pat O'Connor defeated Yukon Eric at an event where 30,275 fans watched. During this time, television became very important for professional wrestling. This made it easier to move wrestlers like O'Connor between different wrestling areas, called territories. In December, he worked for Vincent McMahon's company, Capitol Wrestling, in the Northeast.
On June 30, 1961, O'Connor lost the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Buddy Rogers. This match took place in front of 38,622 fans at Comiskey Park. This was a record for professional wrestling attendance in North America until 1986. The money made from tickets, $148,000, was also a wrestling record for almost twenty years. The match was called the "Match of the Century." During the match, O'Connor got a real groin injury. Rogers then pinned him to win the match.
American Wrestling Association (AWA)
In May 1960, while he was still the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) started. The AWA named Pat O'Connor as the first AWA World Heavyweight Championship holder. This happened because the AWA decided to separate from the NWA. So, Pat O'Connor held both the AWA and NWA World Heavyweight Championships at the same time.
However, he never defended the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was stripped of the title in August, after ninety days. Verne Gagne was then recognized as the new AWA champion. Pat O'Connor never actually wrestled in an AWA event during this time. The AWA named him champion to show that their title was connected to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Much later, Pat O'Connor did wrestle in the AWA. On November 10, 1967, O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder teamed up. They defeated Larry Hennig and Harley Race to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship. They lost the title on December 2 to Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto. O'Connor and Snyder also won the World Wrestling Association's WWA World Tag Team Championship on September 24, 1968. They lost that title to the same team on October 26.
Later Career
On October 13, 1970, Pat O'Connor was introduced as the first NWA Eastern Heavyweight Champion for Jim Crockett Promotions. This was part of a story to start the new title. The title was later given to the Missouri Mauler.
On January 1, 1982, O'Connor was part of the last professional wrestling show for promoter Sam Muchnick in St. Louis. Pat O'Connor was also one of the owners of the St. Louis Wrestling Club. O'Connor, along with Verne Gagne, Harley Race, and Bob Geigel, bought the wrestling territory from Sam Muchnick after he retired.
On November 16, 1987, O'Connor took part in a World Wrestling Federation "old-timers" battle royal. This special match was won by Lou Thesz.
Personal Life
Pat O'Connor married Remember Carly Ford on July 7, 1953. They had three daughters. He became an American citizen in 1958. He lived in the United States for the rest of his life. At the time of his death, his partner was Julie Browne.
Death and Legacy
Pat O'Connor died from cancer on August 16, 1990.
In December 1990, World Championship Wrestling held a special tournament in his honor. It was called the Pat O'Connor Memorial International Cup Tag Team Tournament. This was an eight-team international tag team tournament at Starrcade.
Pat O'Connor has been recognized for his amazing career. In 1996, he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame also inducted O'Connor. He is a member of the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame too. In 2016, O'Connor became a "Legacy" member of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Championships and Accomplishments
Amateur Wrestling
- 1950 British Empire Games silver medal in freestyle wrestling (heavyweight)
- New Zealand Heavyweight Championship (1949, 1950)
Professional Wrestling
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Brown
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (2 times) – with Sonny Myers
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Central States version) (3 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (4 times) – with Sonny Myers (1 time), Tiny Mills (1 time), Bob Geigel (1 time) and Omar Atlas (1 time)
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) (1 time) – with Roy McClarity
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2004
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
- NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Whipper Billy Watson
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Eastern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) - with Tony Baillargeon
- Midwest Wrestling Association
- Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Montreal Athletic Commission
- World Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (2 times)
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Hall of Fame (class of 2011)
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Roy McClarity and Yukon Eric
- NWA New Zealand
- NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version) (2 times)
- NWA Rocky Mountain
- NWA Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2007
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2016)
